DES PLAINES — A long-standing northern Illinois concession area built atop Interstate 90 has closed, but not before travelers and spectators made a final trip to visit the Des Plaines Oasis.

The rest stop along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway first opened in 1959 and was initially a destination point for people taking road trips to the suburbs. It’s being razed to make way for a $2 billion road-widening project. Its final day of operation was Sunday; workers shut its doors for good at 8 p.m.

“I’ve just come through here forever,” said Jim Yarbrough, who lives in Des Plaines and brought his camera with him when he stopped by on Sunday. “It’s always been clean, convenient and is part of Illinois history.”

His comments were reported (http://bit.ly/1df8GqM ) by the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald.

Susan Weigner said the oasis was a fixture on her family’s road trips, which is why she brought her 2-year-old grandson, Michael, to the rest stop on Sunday.

“I was so sad when I heard that it was closing so I said to both of my daughters, ‘Come on, let’s go to the Oasis, lunch on me,’” she said.

After the work is done, the Illinois Tollway will have single remaining Oasis rest area on I-90 in Belvidere.